Within an hour of an armed robbery of a Hazel Dell bank Thursday morning, police had a suspect in custody.
The robbery of Umpqua Bank, 600 N.E. 99th St., occurred at about 7:15 a.m. Police arrested a 34-year-old Vancouver man, but did not release his name, saying he had not been charged with a crime.
A man with a gun came up behind an employee when she was arriving to open the bank. When she tried to lock the door behind her, the suspect pushed his way into the bank and pointed the gun at the woman, said FBI spokeswoman and Special Agent Robbie Burroughs.
The man demanded money. When the employee told him she didn’t have any money because the bank wasn’t open, he fired a round into the floor of the bank, Burroughs said. Nobody was hurt.
The employee gave the robber money, and he took the keys to her car. The man fled the bank in the employee’s car, Burroughs said.
Police tracked a suspect to the Thunderbird Village Apartments, 4601 E. 18th St., and made an arrest at about 8:15 a.m.
The man arrested Thursday was being held without bail in the Clark County Jail on Thursday evening, on suspicion of first-degree robbery. He is to make a first appearance in court today.
Thursday evening, Burroughs and a sergeant with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office declined to confirm the man’s name as the suspect in the Umpqua robbery. Burroughs said more information may be released today.
The Vancouver Police Department, Clark County Sheriff’s Office and FBI are continuing the investigation.
